Shake It Girl!

 ... WOW! What I'd give to dance like her.
Does this not make you want to take some lessons?
Going on that new year's resolution list ... check.

Merry Christmas

Yep. That's the stadium cloth Winnie jacket. It always makes me smile! And the sweater is one of the rare non-J.Crew items I wear. It's from years ago but I love it for this time of the year. It always makes me smile too. :)
















O Holy Night always makes me get a little teary ... this is a gorgeous version!

May you all be surrounded by smiles and good tears!

Tart Tartan

Tabitha of Bourbon & Pearls explained that what North Americans think of as plaid is actually tartan. In Scotland, a plaid is a tartan cloth slung over the shoulder, or a blanket. Spirited discussion ensued about plaids and tartans, including whether the cafe capri in wool "plaid" to the left should be a must-have or must-miss. The debate continued (coincidentally) the next day on DaniBP's post. Like Dani, I too became inexplicably drawn to them. Never shying away from loud clothing, I managed to order the last pair of size 00 available online.        

Believe it or not, when I received them, I thought the pattern more muted than what I was expecting. But! They are not muted pants and you will be noticed wearing these pantaloonies. The light color background is a pale tan rather than ivory. I see how they can give the grandpa vibe some have mentioned, but I kind of like that. There are times when I want the dorkier the better. I'm weird that way. ;)

They are nicely constructed of a soft wool flannel, more substantial and heavier (but not heavy) than what I'd expect with the online description of lightweight wool. There are belt loops and front slant pockets as shown, and two back welt pockets that are buttoned. They are fully lined. I don't know if other sizes would be longer, the size 00 I received measures exactly 27" for the inseam. I'd differ with the description of a skinny leg. The pant legs are slim but not skinny.

The pattern is more runny IRL than what's captured here.
If that makes any sense to you ...

I love the look above, and would love to get the Mona oxford pumps to complete it. However, showing rare restraint, I decided to do it with things I already own and plan to wear them like this tomorrow with an important meeting on the agenda. It's a bold move. Since it will be attended by my boss, my boss's boss and my boss's boss's boss.

Thank You Tweed and Toile

Thanks so much My4Boys of Tweed and Toile for giving me the Liebster Blog Award!!! I was shocked and super pleased to get this honor! That sure added a sparkle to my day. :)

Liebster means "dearest" in German. This award is given to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers.

The award has these stipulations:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your 5 blogger picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Hope that the people you have sent the award to will forward it to their favorite bloggers.

Here are my picks for the Liebster Blog Award (check them out if you haven't already!):
Apples and Pencil Skirts
Bichonluvr's Closet
Love Your Life and Your Look Today
NY-C: Clothing, Calories and City-Life
NYC Recessionista

Rats !

I know, I know ... yuck, right? Give me a chance and I'll explain why I'm posting about these critters on a Feel Good Friday. I had always put rats in the category of the completely unnecessary, until I learned about the Belgian agency called APOPO training African giant pouched rats to do landmine detection for humanitarian efforts. Here are two awful facts:

1. 1. There are currently 66 countries and 7 territories around the world affected by landmines and/or explosive remnants of war.
2. Detection of landmines is difficult, dangerous, costly and time-consuming.

The trained rats -- affectionately known as HeroRats -- have done amazing work and here are some best reasons why they're so well-suited:

1. Rats have an exceptional sense of smell, and can be trained to detect explosives. Unlike metal detectors, they can detect both metal and plastic-cased landmines.

2. Rats are light-weight (approximately 1.5 kg or less) and they will not set off mines when they stand on them (it typically takes 5 kg to set off a pressure-activated landmine).

3. Rats are very sociable, easy to train (they are rewarded by banana and peanuts) and happy to do repetitive tasks.

The more I learned, the more I started loving these rats and last year I "adopted" one as a gift for my brother. I just "adopted" Blossom a few minutes ago. And I feel pretty good about that.

Sartorial Love Child of Spencer and Mona

Four weeks ago, I whined about missing out bidding on the Spencer Mary Janes. Easily distracted, with all the promos ongoing and enablers like shoppingonthefly's review, I decided some grown-up Dorothy shoes were meant to be mine.

Mona Glitter Pumps

The red Mona Glitter Pumps became a need, with added justification that red is my favorite color and the mission of my blog. Even though at 30% off, I'd still be paying $160 plus tax for glitter on cotton twill, man-made lining and sole.

But! When I went scouring for them online, I found they were already sold out (whaaa!).

Harper Crackle-Metallic Platform Heels

Enter the aftermarket. Spotted a pair of the Harper Crackle-Metallic Platform Heels. In my size. Brand new. And a very decent bid price. I remembered them from nearing the end of their retail life. Didn't give them much thought since, never shopping at the B&M, the only thing I could go on was this pic on the JC website. Not too exciting. Until ... I heard about Glamour's sneak peak at J.Crew Fall 2009 (see 6th pic down). If they really looked like that IRL and not ho hum like the pic to the left, they just might satisfy my latest shoe lust. So I waited. Stalked. And won! Woohoo!!

I got them today. And before I go on, I must tell you although I've wanted to learn to become a good photographer (at one point even signing up for photography lessons but never took them), I am a point-and-shoot-with-an-instamatic-camera photographer. And from my advertising agency days, know an enormous amount of time and care go into a professional photo shoot. You could spend hours setting up the shot, playing with angles and lighting and who knows what all the real photographers must do. Anyway, on with my tale ... I took the shoes out of the box, tried them on and immediately thought I need to let you all see what beauties they are. And here's the shot:

You are going to laugh when you find out how I set it up. The backdrop is a dust cover for a J.Crew handbag. It's propped up against our coffee maker on the kitchen counter. I put my digital cam on the Text setting with soft flash and this is the third shot I took. Think the whole shoot of 4 photos took about 5 minutes. What do you think, not too bad?

Coming Attractions

Soiree Sweater Jacket

More images for upcoming polyvore sets :)
Is it me or do you also miss the days when J.Crew items -- like this one -- didn't have to have their backgrounds cropped out?

Velvet Josephine Purse

This little bag will be lovely for the season ... hmm, and lovely with the soiree sweater jacket. 

Denim Western Shirt

And coming soon to this blog: the ultimate J.Crew chambray/denim shirt throwdown!!

Still Crazy

Still magical ... still perfect after all these years!

Throwback Items for Polyvore

Wool Cashmere France Cardigan

I've been working a million hours it seems and there's no time for a proper post. So here are images for some older items for making Polyvore sets. :)



Stewart Tartan Skirt




Alessia Patent-Leather Mary Jane Heels

 

MIW Monday - Inspired by Liberace?

Maybe it's because I used to work in advertising agencies where you are almost expected to dress more outrageously, or maybe it's because I'm in SoCal where business casual could mean a sweater and jeans that aren't in distress. Could it be because I'm not new in my career? Or that I've established a style or signature look, whatever that means?

 

 

Whatever the reason(s), I'm quite comfortable wearing sequins at my workplace among mostly engineers.

 

 

However, this is too much daytime sequins even for me! And I had to tweak it some for my practical purpose. Here's what I wore, even if I felt a little bit like Liberace.

 

 

What do you think? And what do you think about workplace appropriate or inappropriate clothing?

I Believe in Santa

Silk Tartan Parlour Skirt

This skirt "says" Christmas to me. And no wonder, it's from the Holiday 2007 collection. The silk tartan parlour skirt is 100% silk taffeta and lined with a rich royal blue acetate. The fabric is a good weight and the tartan pattern is elegant preppy. A crisp white shirt and luscious cashmere cardi or velvet jacket would be lovely. And I think pretty heels as shown or riding boots would work nicely. It could go casual with a tee and flats.

The fabric is interesting. As it moves and light hits it in different directions, some of the colors change. I see what appears to be black go to a bronze green. The pattern matches up perfectly at the front and back center seams. Every belt loop has the same portion of the tartan pattern. The right and left pocket trim is exactly symmetrical. The wide waist band is faced with the same tartan silk and the inside edges bound in satiny red.

Here's the original (no-nonsense) description: Silk. Full skirt with inverted pleats. Sits lower on the waist. Wide waistband. Belt loops. Zip fly. Off-seam pockets. Fully lined. Hits at knee; 23" long. Import. Dry clean.

It retailed for $198.

I have had a size 2 and it's slightly shorter at approximately 22" long. It's never-worn new with tags and it's for sale. The only reason it is, is because I had purchased the size 2 thinking I could never find the correct size for me. Thought I'd get it altered but could not bring myself to get that done, noting the complicated and beautiful way the skirt is finished. So it remained stored away in one of my plastic bins. Until I found the size 0 (yay!). And thus the size 2 is was offered up for the price I paid for the size 0: $75 + $5 to help with PP fees and shipping cost.